This invention relates to a fastener delivery system, and more particularly to an escapement system for properly orienting a plurality of fasteners.
Considerable assembly time can be saved by utilizing automatic delivery of fasteners to manufacturing cells that include automatic welding machines, screw guns, multi spindle machines, and the like. Machines that perform such functions and deliver fasteners are often referred to as “feeder machines.”
Heretofore, feeder machines have typically checked for proper orientation of the fasteners as the fasteners move through the feeder machine by physically probing the fastener. As a specific example, a nut 2 (FIG. 1), adapted to be welded to prefabricated components by an automatic welding machine, are typically probed for proper orientation as the nut 2 enters the feeder machine. More specifically, each nut 2 typically includes a first substantially planar surface 2, a second substantially planar surface 4 opposed across the nut 2 from the first surface 3, and a centrally located aperture 5 extending between the surfaces 3, 4. The aperture 5 includes a first counter bore 6 located proximate the first aperture 3 and having a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the central portion of the aperture 5, and a frusto-conically shaped second counter bore 7 located proximate second surface 4 and having a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the central portion of the aperture 5 and less than the diameter of the first counter bore 6. A raised ring 8 surrounds the second counter bore 7 and extends outwardly from the second surface 4. A plurality of welding nubs 9 are located at corners of the nut 2 and extend outwardly from the second surface 4. If an improper alignment of the nut is detected, the nut 2 is reoriented and subsequently fed to the welding assembly and welded in place without verifying that the nut 2 is in fact in the correct orientation. As a result, a significant number of nuts are fed to the welding machine in an improper orientation due to false reading during the initial check. The resulting part that includes the misaligned or misoriented nut must be removed from the associated assembly line and reworked by hand, or scrapped.
Therefore, an escapement system is desired that quickly and economically provides properly oriented fasteners to a manufacturing system by properly referencing the check of the orientation of the part from a reference point and assures proper orientation of the fasteners prior to delivery of the fasteners to the manufacturing cell.